Two hundred and thirteen Chinese adolescents (103 females; mean age = 12.18 years) completed a survey one year before (Wave 1) and five months after the COVID-19 outbreak (Wave 2). Path analysis revealed that after controlling for adolescents' emotional maladjustment at Wave 1, perceived parental supportive reactions to adolescents' negative emotions at Wave 1 predicted adolescents' greater use of approach coping and less use of avoidance coping at Wave 2, which in turn, was associated with less emotional maladjustment at Wave 2; conversely, perceived parental nonsupportive reactions at Wave 1 predicted adolescents' greater use of avoidance coping at Wave 2, which in turn, was associated with greater emotional maladjustment at Wave 2. The findings were similar for mothers and fathers.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; coping; emotional maladjustment; parental reactions to adolescents’ negative emotions.
© 2021 Society for Research on Adolescence.